Brain injury changes lives of son, mother

Latisha Fields stands beside her son, Ellis Ray Tripp, who is recovering from an oxygen-deprivation injury.

Bill Hand/Sun Journal

By Tina Adkins, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 04:58 PM.

It was a life-changing event for Ellis Ray Tripp, who was a vibrant and full of life 14-year old who loved hanging out with his friends, spending time with family and playing basketball.

“Basically, he cut up all the time, dancing and playing around,” said Shiwanna Henderson, a cousin who often visits with Ellis. “He was very smart, and my kids are his age, so we spent a lot of time together.”

On May 19, 2013, everything changed.

Ellis, or “Ray,” as called by his family and friends, wanted to play basketball, so together with some friends, they went to the park. They played one game and during the second game, as he went to retrieve the ball, Ray fell to the ground, said uncle Ronnie Fields.

Ellis was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a birth defect that affects normal blood flow to the heart. The condition occurs when a baby’s heart does not form correctly as the baby grows and develops in the mother’s womb, according to the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC estimates that about 1,660 babies in the United States are born with Tetralogy of Fallot each year. The treatment is surgery shortly after birth, and in most cases the child will live an active and healthy life, but will need regular follow-up visits with a cardiologist.

Ellis had been living with his grandmother, Karen Fields, in the Rocky Run community of New Bern while his mother, Latisha Fields, attended law school at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Fla. While playing basketball in May at the local neighborhood park, Ellis’ heart stopped.

It was a life-changing event for Ellis Ray Tripp, who was a vibrant and full of life 14-year old who loved hanging out with his friends, spending time with family and playing basketball.

“Basically, he cut up all the time, dancing and playing around,” said Shiwanna Henderson, a cousin who often visits with Ellis. “He was very smart, and my kids are his age, so we spent a lot of time together.”

On May 19, 2013, everything changed.

Ellis, or “Ray,” as called by his family and friends, wanted to play basketball, so together with some friends, they went to the park. They played one game and during the second game, as he went to retrieve the ball, Ray fell to the ground, said uncle Ronnie Fields.

Ellis was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a birth defect that affects normal blood flow to the heart. The condition occurs when a baby’s heart does not form correctly as the baby grows and develops in the mother’s womb, according to the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC estimates that about 1,660 babies in the United States are born with Tetralogy of Fallot each year. The treatment is surgery shortly after birth, and in most cases the child will live an active and healthy life, but will need regular follow-up visits with a cardiologist.

Ellis had been living with his grandmother, Karen Fields, in the Rocky Run community of New Bern while his mother, Latisha Fields, attended law school at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Fla. While playing basketball in May at the local neighborhood park, Ellis’ heart stopped.

The local volunteer fire and rescue department arrived and immediately began working on him. They used a defibrillator to try to shock his heart into restarting. The family said that a malfunction with the machine caused it to stop working.

A representative of the Rhems Volunteer Fire Department said there was no malfunction of the defibrillator. The machine is equipped with two batteries. Once the battery became low, it automatically switched to its secondary power source.EMTs from CarolinaEast Medical Center arrived shortly afterwards, and together the two teams worked together to do everything they could, said Ronnie Fields.

Due to lack of oxygen to his brain, Ellis now suffers from brain damage. After months in the hospital and more time at home since the incident, he is still no longer the energetic teenager that he was. He cannot talk, walk or move his arms and legs. He is confined to a wheelchair and requires 24-hour care.

His mother Latisha, who has set aside her dream of becoming an attorney to care for her son, says that Ellis would require at least one year of rehabilitation. Medicaid will only cover expenses for six months. The Department of Social Services and other agencies have provided some help, but they do not cover everything, she said. An in-home nurse is provided from midnight to 8 a.m. so she and her mother, Karen, can rest, but they must care for him during the other hours of the day.

She had not sought help because she said did not want to anyone to feel as if she was exploiting her son and there was also a sense of pride involved.

Recently Ellis has been accepted into the Rehabilitation Program at Vidant Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Program. Because Medicaid will only pay for six months of rehabilitation, the family is in need of funds to ensure that Ellis is able to receive the services he will need.

Anyone who would like to donate to the family may do so by visiting www.gofundme.com/5rlnj4 or donations may be sent to Ellis Tripp c/o Latisha Fields, P.O. Box 14652, New Bern, NC 28561. Cards or expressions of care are greatly appreciated also.

Latisha had completed her first year of law school on the Friday before the incident happened. She was packing to return home to spend the summer with her son. She hopes to be able to complete her degree, but for now, all of her attention is focused on her son and his recovery.

A Talent Show fundraiser is planned for the month of June, with all proceeds benefiting Ellis’ care and recovery. Anyone interested in participating may call 252-259-8702 for more information.